COURTHOUSE — In what he described as one of the more difficult decisions he’s had to make in a law career that has spanned three decades, Common Pleas Judge Garrett D. Page sentenced a local man to several months plus probation for involuntary manslaughter and weapons offenses, after a grueling three hours in court Tuesday afternoon.

Defendant Garfield Williams, 42, of the 1300 block of Pine Street, Norristown, was the admitted shooter in a barroom brawl that turned deadly at the Elmwood Elks Lodge in Norristown more than two years ago.

In December, Williams pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and firearms offenses, after an argument ensued in October 2010 between his friends and another group of bar patrons, resulting in Marcus Bates — an innocent bystander — getting caught by a stray bullet that ended his life.

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On Tuesday before Page, Williams was sentenced to 11 ½ to 23 months and given five to 10 years’ probation. He will get credit for time served since February. Williams is a convicted felon for drug offenses dating back to 1990, making him a person not to be in possession of a firearm.

For the last two and a half years, investigators have been putting together the pieces of exactly what happened in the early morning hours of Oct. 10, 2010 outside the Elmwood Elks Lodge on Green Street in Norristown.

Throughout the proceedings of the case, defense attorneys argued Williams deliberately left the bar when he saw trouble afoot, but came back moments later, pulled a gun from his wife’s purse – one she was licensed to carry — and accidentally shot Bates in the process of a “tussle” with other bar patrons. Bates was struck once with a bullet from a .45 caliber semiautomatic handgun, which severed his spine and killed him instantly.

“By everybody’s accounts, Marcus Bates was a beautiful person, a really nice guy. My position has always been that he was on his way out, ushering his wife, his sister-in-law and her friend, and attempting to avoid trouble. I think Judge Page is one of the most enlightened and wise jurists I’ve ever met. Through the conduct of this proceeding, he has been nothing but level-headed and understood the emotions on both sides.”

But emotions did ring high in court Tuesday, as friends and family from both the defendant and the victim poured into Page’s courtroom, some to testify as character witnesses. When Page issued his sentence, a number of Bates’ family members cursed aloud and were kicked out of court for shouting at the judge.

“Shame on you!” they hollered, as they were escorted by sheriff’s deputies to their respective vehicles, to avoid an altercation inside or outside the courthouse.

Williams’ wife, Alexis Morris-Williams — now eight months pregnant — was also charged in the incident and pleaded guilty earlier in the year to tampering with evidence. Prosecutors alleged Morris-Williams deliberately tried to thwart law enforcement during the “most chaotic time for investigators.”

As a first-time offender before the court, she also pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence, after she hid the handgun used to kill Bates in a VCR in the couples’ Norristown home. She was sentenced to the 53 days of time served.

Her father, Larry Tillman, 58, who lived with the pair, also pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence, after he cut the power cord off the VCR and tossed it in a dumpster. He, too, pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to the 233 days of time served to no more than 23 months in Montgomery County Correctional Facility (MCCF).

“This case was unbelievably tough for everyone involved, because the one consistent thing was that Marcus Bates’ death was a complete tragedy,” said Assistant District Attorney Nathan Schadler, adding that Norristown has “suffered a disease of gun violence” as of late.

“We cannot express enough sorrow for what happened that night. We could not find any evidence that showed that we had the malice necessary for a murder charge, and ethically, we have to do that. I know today’s sentence was one that (Page) thought out and gave great consideration to,” he said.

Before Tuesday’s sentence was read, the defense called several character witnesses on behalf of Williams, including his mother-in-law and his pastor, both who testified he was “a family man,” an “exemplary father” and who displayed actions that night “not indicative of who Garfield Williams really is.”

Turning to the Bates family in the courtroom, Williams exercised his right of allocution.

“I apologize to the Bates family,” said Williams, his voice cracking.

“It was not my intent to cause harm to anyone. I pray for your family, every day, that the Lord would bring you peace and comfort. I pray for your forgiveness and I’m truly sorry, Marcus.”

Addressing members of the Bates family, Page expressed condolences for what he called “a tragic loss by misadventure.”

“I can feel the pain in this room,” said Page.

“The tragedy in this case is Marcus Bates losing his life by accident. Nothing I can say will bring Marcus Bates back. To the Bates family, you will be healed by something greater than that. To Garfield Williams, I’m giving you a chance to correct a wrong.”